Object of Affection
by Momma Mustang
Summary: [Royai][AU] Riza is forced to try and move on without Roy Mustang. But, with the knowledge at her fingertips, can she stop herself as Mustang had, or will she fall to the temptation of playing God? [Nyeh, sucky summmary, will work on.]
1. Funeral

First of all, please note that this plot is not mine! Nor is FMA, but you already knew that. This is a plot that I role played with Jokess8 or xprodigiousx (I believe). This is her plot, and I have asked her permission to use this. Go ahead and ask. I just made it into a fic, going in more depth with it than she had with my own things incorporated. But, do note that I am not claiming the idea as mine. This is hers, I won't steal it.

Secondly, I wrote this for Riza and Riza 2. This isn't your birthday present Riza, I'm still working on that, and hopefully, you'll like it, but this is for the two of you! And, of course, Jokess as well.

Riza is a bit OOC. xP I know that. Time changes people.

COMPLETELY AU! The movie never happened. Ed never went across the Gate (he won't be appearing, I dun think), Roy wasn't demoted. Thanks. I think that is all the warnings I have.

**Pairings: **Royai (main), HyuRoi (slight)

* * *

"Roy, here." Amber eyes peered up at the man beside her, taking in his genuine smile, the handsome features upon his face. She returned the smile turning to the booth before her, dressed in a rather uncharacteristic, at least for her, kimono for that night's festival. They had some time off, two weeks, so why not use it to full effect? 

Her eyes looked over the food presented to them, the man behind her not deciding either way what he wanted. Instead, she just moved on, reaching into the package she had grabbed for some things she had packed for their night out, handing him an egg roll. "The Japanese culture is simply splendid." She commented, running her hand down the flowery, autumn colored kimono that accented her hair and eyes. Her lips were painted, a faint pink, a fitting color.

His grin remained, nodding slowly. "Yes. It is a wonderful culture." He, however, hadn't shown much interest in dressing up with her. He remained in his civilian clothing, his white button up shirt, dark blue jacket and black slacks. Roy wasn't as…into it as she was. That didn't mean he didn't enjoy the time he spent with her. "Riza, what else did you want to do?"

The blonde's eyes moved to the midnight blue sky above, the stars twinkling and shining brightly against it, the moon's light absent, due to the new moon phase. It was a splendid night to be out, cool, calm, no wind at all, and with the very man she cared about. What more did she want to do? "Are you getting tired?" She asked gently, but making sure to keep firm on her decision to go home should he begin to feel fatigued.

It had been three years ago since he fought his worst enemy, the Fuhrer, coming out with barely his life. His left eye was lost, and his body still suffered from a fatigue that could not be explained. The only thing that could be said was that his heart had sustained damage that could not be repaired so easily. Unfortunately, Roy was unable to work again, sitting more at his desk as General Mustang, rather than being forced onto active duty. He wouldn't have been able to handle it. "I'm fine, Riza. Let's enjoy this, all right? I haven't been able to do something like this in quite some time."

Riza remained faithful to him, clinging to his every word that he would do what he could to make things right again. He would finish what he aimed to do, a weakened man or not. Her hand found his left one, his fingers curled around the handle of the cane he used for long walks. Her gaze met his, a sigh leaving her. "You push yourself too hard."

"You're being awfully cheerful tonight." His smile turned into a smirk, that mischievous look in his eye that she hated to love. That was the way she knew he was all right. He wasn't being depressed, or focused on his disabilities. He was smirking, flirting, being the Mustang she knew. That was always something that told her that she didn't have to worry.

"Of course I am. Who wouldn't be? It's a beautiful night, I'm at a great festival, I'm here with you…what more could I ask for?" Riza had to admit, she wasn't feeling like…Hawkeye. She had managed to break free from her, allowed herself to become Riza outside of work, and was quickly able to access the trigger happy, serious woman when she needed her. For now, it was Riza that the situation called for, Hawkeye lingering in the back of her mind, awaiting for the moment when she would be set free.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." He answered, turning his attention to the sky briefly. "It's a nice night."

She nodded, her grip tightening on his hand. "It is."

They had somehow lapsed into silence, her eyes on him, and his on the sky, ignoring the buzzing of the people around them, the excited squeals of a child as their father just won them a gold fish, a disappointed groan as one of the young men failed to impress their girlfriend, the chattering about what booths had excellent food, and the talks about the rather famous people in their midst. "What do you want out of life, Riza Hawkeye?"

"Hm?" She questioned. That was a little out of the blue. Certainly he could have proposed that in a better manner. Then again, this was Roy Mustang. It shouldn't have surprised her. Even if he didn't say something as romantic as one would have liked, it always seemed to be like the most romantic way it could have been presented. It was just one of his many talents, another one that she greatly appreciated. "I don't understand."

He chuckled, eyes closing for a moment. "Do you want a family? Do you want a higher rank? Do you want a different job? You never answered them the first time I asked…" Finally they returned to her, searching her for the answers that she would not so willingly give before.

Riza blinked, allowing her gaze to fall from his face, to their hands. The heat rose in her cheeks, but it was the Hawk that refused to allow him to see. Her pride was slowly slipping through. "I suppose I want a family. Someone must carry on my bloodline, right? My rank and job are fine. I chose those on my own and I refuse to lose them. I worked hard to keep them; I won't let you persuade me to give them up. What is this about? I thought – "

Roy raised his free hand, that cocky smirk in place and placed his fingers over her lips, forgetting about the paint on them for now. "This is a night out, a night for us to relax, yes. But how can we make decisions if we don't talk about them, and what better time than a date, hmn?"

Riza stepped away from his hand, frowning. "No one said that this was a date."

"You never said that it wasn't."

A snort. He was not going to change this around. "I never said it was, Mustang. Can we move on?"

Roy nodded, his smirk fading into his small smile. "Yes, let's move on. I was interested in that strange fluffy stuff further up. Should we try it?"

Riza's grin returned, shoving Hawkeye down, and nodding, allowing herself to take lead once more. "I wonder what that is as well. It'll be nice to try, at any rate."

Roy nodded, smile faltering. His right hand reached over to his left shoulder, eye narrowing. This wasn't right. He didn't feel right. This had to be done; he couldn't simply leave it like this. That pain…a pain he had felt before, when Pride had dug his blade into his chest, aiming for his heart, trying to tear down his life, as he had with his spirit, and his mind through the Ishballan War and the years that had followed, so much so that he had the courage and stupidity to challenge a homunculus and remove him from his throne. Riza…Riza had to know, he wouldn't let her go on like this. Neither one of them could. He couldn't be happy knowing he never said anything.

A strangling feeling. The pain shooting down his arm. The feeling that someone had grasped his heart and was squeezing it within his chest. The inability to breathe. He couldn't explain it; there was too much running through his head. The Flame…in such a pitiful position. Gasping for air, trying to make his body work. Trying to tell himself that it was nothing but a panic attack, something he had grown accustomed to since Bradley's fall, whenever he thought back to that day. Fear overcame, reflecting on his face, he knew that. He could feel it in the air, much more than he ever would have thought. It was a natural response, when one did not understand what was happening. This just turned out to be much more than he had ever thought possible. His heart was racing. The heat seemed to increase in his body. He couldn't handle it…

* * *

Riza stopped, turning to look at Roy, noticing he hadn't been with her. However, the sight that caught her frightened and surprised her, and Hawkeye hated to feel afraid. She brought a delicate hand to her mouth, dashing forward, ignoring the people around. They were none of her concern right now. The man cringing, falling to his knees, weakened, was the one she had to worry about. "Roy? What's wrong?" She asked, dropping in front of him and pulling his head to her shoulder. 

"A nice…nice way to spend tonight, isn't it?"

Her grip tightened at the strain in his voice, almost as if she could steal his pain, or whatever was wrong with him away. No one could take him if she clung tight enough. "Shh…I knew you were tired. Too damn stubborn…"

Her thoughts didn't register anymore. The noises around them didn't make sense. Yelling, sirens, hands…none of it amounted to anything but confusion, and it didn't improve when the hands and their prying seemed to become more intense, more forceful. How long had she been sitting there, holding onto him? Neither had said a word, his labored breathing, his increased heartbeat…were non-existent. How could she not notice! "Taisa! Taisa, don't – come on dammit!" Slipping back into calling him 'Colonel' was something she was much too used to. It was accidental, really, since he wasn't a Colonel anymore, but that wasn't what was important anymore. Why wasn't he giving a response?

"Ma'am, we're going to ask you to come with us." The firm hands on her finally managed to pull her away, a strong man restraining her while the others did the job asked of them.

Riza watched, hiding the tears in her eyes, knowing that Roy would not want them at all. They would simply take him in, and he would recover in a few days. The words that they uttered amongst themselves floated in the air, the spectators watching in curiosity. None of them held any interest in the severity of what was going on except it was a tragic change to the festival. "Don't take that off!" She ordered, reaching for the man's hand as he went to remove the eye patch. To him it was probably curiosity as well, but to him and to her, it was a sign of what happened, and a way of hiding the hideous scar beneath it.

He paused, looking over at her. Nodding slowly, he pulled his hand back, turning back to his work. "Let's move him."

Riza had to follow them. Apparently she was too 'hysterical' to go with them, but that was hardly the case. It was probably because of the death glare she had given to half of those idiots. They didn't know what they hell they were doing. He'd be fine. Roy Mustang was not going to die so easily. But that was there deep feeling in her gut that she couldn't deny…

* * *

Numb. 

That was the only word that she could feel. Ever since she had heard those dreadful words that turned her entire world upside down. She couldn't take it. There was no way that this was real.

Perhaps she seemed cold, standing there without a tear in her eye, watching them bring it in with their strength. Six of his closest men…Havoc, Fuery, Falman, Breda…and two other men she could not recall the names. She was surprised she knew her own name or those of her co-workers at the moment. Her mind would not process what was going on in front of her.

Surreal.

It was all too unreal. She remembered the doctor coming out to her, telling her that there was nothing he could do, that Mustang had been gone when the ambulance arrived on the scene. She had seen his unmoving form. She felt his pale, cooling skin. Smelt the scent of death, something she knew by heart after all the hell that she had seen in her life. …Tasted the vomit in her mouth at the mere thought.

Dead.

He was gone. There was no doubt about it. There was the casket. The hole. The tombstone. The tears. It all signified that he was no longer there. No longer there to hold her hand, to smirk, to give her some reassurance that the world was out there and that he could and would always protect her, as she had him.

Why?

He had survived hell to get to this point! The trouble he and Hughes had been in. The academy, with more Hughes. The State Alchemy Exam. The Ishballan Massacre. His rise through the ranks. The fight with the Fuhrer! All of it! Why did this happen now? Why this way? The doctor had said that it appeared to be of a heart attack. Of all the ways to leave this world, why that way? Roy wanted to leave this world in a spectacular way, a way that showed he cared about the people, that gave his life some meaning. Not in such a manner that was ridiculous.

Repeat.

"Momma?" _Just like last time…_

"What is it, Elysia, darling?" _Glacier…_

"What's wrong with everyone? Uncle Roy's just tired, right?"

Hawkeye's gaze flickered behind her, listening to the little girl. She sounded a little upset. She must have known this, really. She had to have begun to understand death, especially after her father. She was what? Seven? Eight now? Maes died when she was four, she was lost and confused. Maybe…she was doing as Riza was, masking it by pretending that it wasn't happening.

Roy still hadn't been able to face the Hughes'. He struggled to see his friend's grave, but they never did hold it against him. They seemed to enjoy his visits, when he made them.

Her eyes narrowed, focusing on the bits of dirt that fell on the flag with the military's symbol on it. It covered him. The casket was merely an extension of him. She could see it all, wanted to stop it, cry out like Elysia had when she was telling her mother to stop them from burying her father. But it was unbecoming. Her throat had clogged with a lump, restricting her breathing. However, if she managed to swallow it, or try and speak, Hawkeye would fall apart. She knew she would lose it.

* * *

Afterwards, Glacier told her to meet her at her home. Riza would have to turn down that offer. Her mind was focused on one thing, the grave before her; the man she cared so deeply for, the one who had no visible weakness…God had found the chink in his armor and used it, struck him down. 

She kneeled down in front of it, the sun setting on the horizon. She was quite sure everyone had gone by now, how long had she been standing there? It felt like forever, but it had really been only a few hours, tops. Fingers trailed over the lettering of his name. A familiar name that she loved to utter. Her respect kept her from calling him Roy a lot, only in the last three years had it really come out.

"Bastard…" She muttered, fingers curling into fists. "You son of a bitch!" How could he leave her like that? Just…go and die? After the trouble they went through to get through the fights…she had no idea what he did before they spent a good deal of time together, though she had been suspicious, considering that human transmutation theory he had thought of during Hughes' funeral.

_Human…transmutation._

Her father had something against it. He refused to allow her to use alchemy, though he had taught her all of his secrets on Flame Alchemy, which, she, in turn, had taught to Roy upon her father's death and request, the salamander circle etched into the flesh on her back, the scarring from Roy's hand as he burned it upon her appeal. She wanted no more to use such a technique for war. There was enough trouble on her mind. There would be no more blood staining her family's name.

Ignoring the warm trails running down her cheeks, glaring at the man's name. "You bastard…I won't let you just die on me. If anyone gets to kill you, it won't be some heart issue, it'll be my hands!"

The thought of human transmutation never left her mind. Why would it? If she could have him back, no matter the risks…wouldn't it be worth it? However, with nothing to help her with that, and requiring years of study to do, she had banished the thought. She wouldn't do this alone. There had to be /some/ way to bring him back…some way for him to return. Well…Glacier was waiting.

* * *

"I'm glad you all could bring yourselves here in such troubled times. I'm sorry that we must meet like this, but, I am here to distribute General Roy Mustang's estate." The lawyer sat behind a desk, one in a similar tidiness as Roy's, bringing back the horrible reminder that once they managed to clean it off, it never would be the same. He would never come again to ruin Riza's hard work. 

"To Cain Fuery. I leave my radio equipment. To a great subordinate with the top skills in the field of radio communications. One of the youngest of my men with one of the most valuable assets to my team." Fuery shuddered, looking down, having discarded his glasses already. Only Mustang would show off in something like his will…

"To Heymans Breda. I leave you my supply of rummies that Riza hadn't gotten in her attempts to purge them all. The key to the safe they are in is hidden in my desk. I owe you for bringing them in while taking the heat from Hawkeye." Those in the room couldn't help but grin at it. Roy had loved those damn things, chocolates with rum inside. Ah, they remembered the good times with those, no matter how angry she may have gotten with them about it.

"To Vato Falman. You were always interested in knowledge. So, I decided to leave you my library. All but one section on Alchemy. I do believe that you'll find it quite extensive and to your liking." Falman had to suffer through two bosses being lost. It was already hard, but hearing the man's cracks, even after he was dead…

"To you, Jean Havoc. There was always one I wanted. Only one. After I lost that one, I had to look to another. The women I dated, the ones that had left you, they never did mean anything to me. Perhaps I did it because it was expected of me, or maybe it was to make that one jealous. I don't know, and, if you're reading this, I probably still haven't discovered the reason by the time I have died. To you, old friend, I leave my black book. Maybe you'll find a nice girl that I /haven't/ stolen yet, ne?" Havoc was caught between glaring and repressing his emotions. They could all picture the smug look on Roy's face, hearing him say it, as if he was there himself, mocking Havoc. Breda grinned, nudging his co-worker, giving Havoc the relief he needed, turning his glare on Breda.

"Glacier and Elysia Hughes. I know this may not be much consolation; I wish I knew how I could fix things. I was responsible for the loss of Hughes. There was much that you may not have understood, our relationship, why I did not visit…why I tried to distance myself after his death. To you I leave a set of photographs that I have from Hughes, and a letter, explaining in detail what I was too cowardly to tell you in person. I'm sorry that it had to come to this for you to understand it, but I suppose it cannot be helped." Elysia pet her mother's arm, silently wondering what the shocked expression was for, but decided it was best not to ask right then.

"As I have no longer have any living family, my house, my notes, everything inside of it, unless I have designated it to someone else, will therefore go to Riza Hawkeye, to do with as she may see fit. All of my notes on Flame Alchemy are hers and must not be touched by anyone else, never to be seen by another human's eyes. I also leave her a letter and the key to my place, which is enclosed in said letter." Riza remained still, though, on the inside, she was yelling at him again, for ever thinking she would want his place to live in. That bastard…so inconsiderate.

"Finally…it's come down to the last thing that I can think of. As a State Alchemist, I was paid well. With no one to spend it on, really, and the payment that the military did for almost anything that required currency, I managed to save up quite the sum. Whatever is left in the account is hereby divided among the six parties available today in an even amount."

The man behind the desk sighed and stood, looking over the gathered parties. Once he was paid, he didn't much care what happened, but until everything was settled, he wasn't paid, meaning he couldn't shove them on their way. "On Friday, at noon, we will all meet at General Mustang's home, and divvy up his belongings. That's all."

Riza didn't want for anyone to come talk to her, taking the letter extended to her and leaving. They would surely want to pester her on how she was, and the foolish sentiments behind why he left her everything…This was her time to move on, and be the strong woman that she had been forced to be early on. Riza Hawkeye didn't /need/ Roy Mustang to survive. She would prove that.

* * *

AN: There you have it, a short chapter one. Hopefully, I can make them longer. 


	2. Letters

Teeeerribly sorry for the delay. My computer went and died, and I didn't have a chance to get it until recently, and, as you may be ale to tell, I got a bit lazy when I got back to it after the scene in the office. So... sooooo so sorry. xD

Review Replies!

**XStrife: **Thank you. :3 I know, I don't have many Royai out there, but I'm glad you like this one. I've always wondered myself, but there's no further need. We have it right here. xD At least Prodigious's view in my words. xD Here you go, I hope you didn't wait too long.

**Dailenna**: xD Well then, I'm certainly glad that it didn't make you laugh. xD Thanks for reviewing and I hope it is adequate. If not, you could always tell me how to fix it.

**Azilie**: xD Really? Here you go.

**Splenda**: xD You'll have to do a lot of catching up, I'm updating like there is no tomorrow. And! Finally, a Royai fic for you! I hope you like.

**Riza:** Yay! I'm glad you liked it! Yes, I'm working hard on it, and I'll use a few different elements from the roleplays you and I did and the ones Riza two and I did. I hope you enjoy it! You have to come back on though! WE MISS YOU! And Splenda too!

**LoyalSoul**: Thank you. I'm glad you like. Here's your update and I do apologize for taking so long.

**Bizzy**: Yes, there's an entire fic! xD Aren't you happy? Thank you, and she does. Maybe she'll get one?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I don't own the basic plot, I got that from Prodigious, with her permission, I am making a royai fic out of it. If you would like to ask her, PM me and I will give you the known neomail I have. **

_Pairings_: Royai

**_NOTE: I know... I know... the corny letter takes up more space than the other scenes, probably combined. Shush, that was the point of this chapter._**

_

* * *

_

_Dear, Hawkeye…_

_How to say such delicate words to you without them sounding… cliché. I never was a man for small talk, as you knew quite well yourself. A little forewarning, I am writing this as the thoughts come to me, so perhaps this will be a bit out of order. I fear I don't have time to fix it before it will be needed. That being the case, I should probably get the most important thing out of the way before hand._

_How long have we known each other? Yet, I haven't been able to learn what makes Riza Hawkeye tick. I prided myself in those things, to be able to wrap any man or woman that I desired around my finger, but only you seemed impervious to it. Or were you? Were you just like Teacher, your father, and just hiding what you were? What you felt? I wish I knew the answer, but I don't think I will ever be able to break through that shield you put up._

_This may be sudden, and I plan on asking you tonight, at this festival thing, but knowing you, I'll probably never get the chance. You're much too focused on getting through today. It was always how you were, how your father was. I know… that if you're reading this, that this would mean nothing, and there's nothing that can be done, since… well, I write this letter if my death should occur. In my desk, in the middle drawer, there's a ring. My mother gave it to my sister, who gave it to her daughter in turn. When she passed away, I suppose being the last of us gave it to me. I know, it's stupid, leaving it there, but I know how you get, and no matter what had happened to me in the past, I wasn't going to give up. I'm a persistent bastard, remember? I want you to wear that ring, pass it through your bloodline, and remember the ties between you and I._

_Secondly, I do know that I left you almost everything in my will. Of course. I wrote that shortly after Hughes' death. I expected that it would all end shortly after him. That I would try and bring him back, or the military would come for me next, really, I couldn't say what I thought was going to happen. That is all stuff that I wanted you to have, no matter what anyone says. Whether you sell the house, the things inside, or keep them to yourself, all that matters is that you have them. _

_Thirdly, but one of the most important ones, is all about the alchemical research I left to you. I left all of my important notes, my decoding, my Flame Alchemy notes, even my human transmutation notes. I want you to destroy them. No good ever came out of any of it. You told me to finish the line with us, so I burned that symbol, the salamander circle on your back. As long as you were happy. So I know this will please you as well. I don't want others following down the path I did, at least not with my help. I refuse to be the cause of another's pain again. _

_Of course, you already hurt, don't you? And Havoc, Breda, Fuery and Falman. Maybe even Edward… then again, maybe I'm putting too much into this, and you don't. I can never tell what's on your mind. I can only speculate that, and while it brings back the memories of then, I don't think it's all that far off to say that it's possible. _

_I could continue this until my hand falls off, and you know how much that would take; I've been signing papers since I achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel after the war. But…I think I hear you getting your guns ready to blow down the door to my study, and I really would like to keep that in top condition._

_There are so many things that I want to tell you. As you know me, I am an excellent player of the language, and I could sit here and write a million ways to describe it in beautiful detail, but you aren't the kind of woman for that. To put it plain and simple, I didn't realize how much I needed you. When Maes died, I thought I lost it all. I forced myself to hide it all, but it came rushing out, you knew it. That was one of the reasons I appreciated you, but protected you. What would I do if I lost both of you?_

_I won't say it's love. You'd probably come and kill me all over again. I will say I do care deeply for you, or rather, did, since I can no longer show such emotions by the time you receive this. I knew for some time this was coming… I must pay for my sins… Bradley's death, Maes' untimely demise, those I killed in Ishbal and everything that surrounded it. I have to carry my sins. I can't even accept the feelings of loyalty that you all have given to me, not fully. Tell me… what is it you feel towards me? Is it merely the affection that I protect you? A professional relationship? A guilty conscience? Or is it something else?_

_You can't answer, I suppose. Well, I didn't expect an answer, really. These last few years, you knew it as well. I'm sure you were questioning yourself…how was I able to survive such extensive injuries. But laying there, I felt your hands, heard your strong voice, calling out to me. It seemed to defy the god of death, bat away the little gremlins._

_This is all I ask of you, Riza Hawkeye. I ask you to live, not take my dream, not take my stupidity, not take my place. I just want you to be happy, to live free and on your own. Move away from Central. Find a new place to live. I may not be in heaven, though, for some strange reason, and though I don't believe in God, I find it to be a comforting thought. You're the closest to Heaven that I'll ever be. But, I wouldn't want to end up there. I couldn't handle the faces that still haunt my nightmares. I don't deserve to be in their presence._

_I did leave you another surprise, other than the wedding ring in my desk. It's in the closet in my room. You should wear it at least /once/. I did put a lot of work into it. I will never sew again. And no one's to know about that. _

_Always Yours,_

_Roy Mustang,_

_General,_

_Ladies' Man,_

_And_

_Flame Alchemist_

* * *

"You forgot womanizer. Lazy. Bastard…" She sighed, leaning back in the chair at his desk, amber eyes staring down at the letter in her hands. Of course, it was Roy. It had hints of him all over, even in the seriousness of it. How could it be that he could be so calm with the prospect of death looming over him? He said he knew it was coming. He seemed so peaceful when she had held him… 

Perhaps it was just time.

Wedding ring… She felt the heat in her face drain away that had been there since she started reading. She wiped her eyes, scooting back in the chair. Riza had spent the night here. It was go home to an empty apartment, or go home to Roy's where Hayate was waiting. She wasn't ready to go to either one, so she stayed in one of the other places she wasn't ready to see, though it was something that she had to face at one point or another. Especially with the thought that there was a ring waiting for her.

She opened the drawer, still the same as the last time she had seen it, refusing to allow anyone to go in it. She herself wasn't ready. But… the call of the ring was too much. Inside rested a small box, one that a person would expect to keep small jewelry in, and she picked it up. How long had that been in there? She hadn't seen it when she looked for a pen…

The ring was simple, perfect for one with delicate hands, a small stone, whether it was a diamond or not had yet to be determined, since she had no idea how to figure that out. Riza wasn't one for flashy jewelry. The gem, as she was going to call it for now, was oval shaped, little stones spouting off on each side, about three each. The band was a simple, silver one, thin, but large enough to be a nice reminder on her finger.

Instinctively, she pulled it from the box and slipped on her left ring finger, as he meant it for, noting how it fit so wonderfully, how it seemed to shine brightly, even in the darkness of the office. She gave a fond smile at it, fanning her fingers out to study it, raising her hand and admiring it. Whether it was real or not wasn't what drew her to it. It was from Roy himself, a beautiful reminder that he didn't think of her as just a lowly subordinate. He cared about her enough to surrender one of his most precious possessions, even if it was because of death. She couldn't help but think that he would give it to her if he had survived.

She sighed. Riza was drained. Tomorrow, they'd be meeting at Roy's place to hand out his things and then getting back to their normal lives. She didn't think it was honorable to simply do that, but going back to his place was going to be hard enough. Parting with everything that had his scent on it…

"Taisa… Taisa come back…"

* * *

The seven of them gathered in Roy's living room, silence ensuing. The lawyer hadn't shown up yet, but they silently thanked that fact. Once he showed up, and everything had been handled, they would feel obligated to leave the man's house. It was painful to sit there, but parting for good, his things distributed like that of some dead-beat who hadn't paid their bills... It was a sad little reminder that he wasn't coming back. 

Havoc had decided he couldn't wait, standing an moving outside to light a cigarette. Elysia was with them, and they all knew how much Roy hated the smoking, to do it in his domain was stupid. Not to mention that they had a bit of superstition and the prospect of Roy's ghost attacking just didn't seem all that appealing. Yes, he could see it now, lighting up his cigarette only for the flames to spread and light him on fire too. The pyro would strike again...

Elysia was playing with her dolls to keep herself occupied, Fuery joining her on the floor. It never hurt to do something to take your mind off it. Things just didn't settle right, and this was such a disgusting feeling. Dirty... Riza felt dirty and sick, sitting there waiting for this man. If it weren't for the fact that her Colonel -- General, whatever they preferred to call him, she would have been at home or the office, searching for ways to get over the loss.

Black Hayate pined at his master's feet, reaching up with a paw to place it on her leg, asking if she was all right. He knew she wouldn't approve, but his Lady's happiness was above the punishment that he was sure that would ensue. Whatever would make her smile again, it was his duty to bring it up.

Riza's fingers curled through the fur on the dog's head, wrapping around his ears, her means of distracting herself. Distractions were absolutely wonderful at that time. She knew that Hayate couldn't get used to being allowed to do this, but for now, anything that kept her mind focused on something other than divvying up his belongings was better than nothing. Facing the problem would bring pain. She wasn't going to run, otherwise she wouldn't have shown up, but she was not going to sit there and waste her life away thinking about it...

"It seems everyone is here." There was that dreadful, monotonous voice she didn't really want to her. Annoying man... "Let's get started then, shall we?"

* * *

The attorney had been sent off about an hour ago after everything had been appointed and ready to be sent home, not caring once he had his payment in hand. Riza stood silently in the kitchen with Glacier, managing to have survived this long. Actually, it was quite easier than she thought. It was hard, sure, but she thought she would have lost her composure long ago, when the proceedings began, and here she was, offering a smile to little Elysia, as if the days were just as they once had been. Crying over a foolish man was not going to bring him back. 

"Elysia, why don't you carry the plates out? I'll get the milk." Glacier chided gently, handing the plate to her daughter while her hands set about, pouring bottles of milk into glasses. "Riza, would you mind helping me for a moment? I know you're rather busy..."

"It's nothing." Hawkeye answered, grabbing a few of the glasses of milk, setting aside the task of cooking the duck that Breda brought by for their memorial dinner and took them out to the others. There were four men out there, she was not about to put her hands on anything food, not when they were hungry. She'd learned from years of working with them that they were ravenous without a midday snack.

"Who knew Hawkeye was a house wife?" Breda muttered, delving into the cookies and snatching a glass of milk quickly. It'd already been made clear that they would not drink with Elysia around.

Havoc snorted. "Yeah, house wife and deck jockey by day, by night a bounty hunter."

"Really?" Fuery looked up from the picture he was coloring.

"Enough."

The three men grinned, Falman completely out of the loop, reading one of the books from Roy's library, enjoying it rather much.

Riza turned with a repressed smile of her own, and went back to her cooking. She knew a few things, someone had to make sure her father ate. This just so happened to be one of the few favorites he requested.

"Oh... Jean, you shouldn't eat that!"

"What?"

"Jean dropped his ahses on a cookie!" Elysia cried, running into the kitchen like a dutiful daughter.

"Havoc..." Riza stepped around, the stoic expression in place, hand falling on Elysia's head.

Blue eyes blinked rapidly. "Right!" He stood and went for the closest window.

"He... could have at least used the door..." Hawkeye would never remember how she survived with Roy and his men for so long...

* * *

It was well after midnight when Havoc left, the last of their group to depart, with the promise he would see her at work on Monday if he couldn't drop by at another time. Yes, that was how it was going to be. They would have to move on, watch someone else sit in his chair, tell them to fetch them some food, rely on them to make his day go smoother... she wasn't ready, but if she protested it, it would do nothing. It would have to happen one day, and putting it aside was a cowardly thing to do. Riza always prided herself on her strength. True, everyone needed a chance to break down, but she had hers and it was time to move on. 

The metallic wastebasket that had been placed outside, fuel within and set aflame burned brightly in the dark night, reflecting emotionless depths. This was one part of the past she was quite glad to get rid of, watching the Flame Alchemist's notes go up in flames. Ironic, really, the last thing that made the Flame... dying by flame. Her personal wants didn't matter. This was what the world needed. And, dare she say it, it was what she needed.

The notes that Roy had taken when she explained her father's technique, the notes he had made, his tweeks in the circle, his ways to make it work and impress the judges during the exams. His basic alchemy, things her father had taught him, types of alchemy he must have been working on on his own... the list went on, things she never really knew.

And then... it came to last box. It wasn't labeled, but seeing as how she glimpsed over everything, it seemed to be early works and Flame notes. His codes were difficult to decipher, using date descriptions and girl's names to hide what was really in those sheets, but she got the jist of it. Her hand delved inside, lifting one of the stacks held together by a clip, scribbled all over, paint in splotches. This must have been what he had been working on, that theory he mentioned.

_'Cecilia's hands circled around, forming perfection while simply standing silent among the lines of people, winding through, almost in a formation of stars. They seemed to want a sort of line tonight, and to be honest, I found it intriguing myself. It was then that the women around began a sort of contest of numbers, trying to best each other, probably to win some heart. I found it rather exhilarating, to be sure._'

She raised a brow, glancing back to the fire that was slowly dying out. Her eyes burned, and it was obviously time to go in. She could deal with these and make sure they burned in the morning. The day had been long, stressful, and full of babysitting men at least five times Elysia's age. She wasn't about to push herself anymore. Besides, in her dreams... he was still right there, even sleeping beside her...


	3. New Boss

Wow! Chapter number three! Not as many reviews as the first chapter, but I so found this to be great and fun and like... Okay! I can't resist! I need to balance out my diet from the KimRoy, RoyEd and HyuRoi that I've been focusing on and do some Royai.

NOTE: This is not my plot. This is the plot of Jokess, which, I got from her permission to use on fanfiction dot net. I'm implementing my own elements, but the framework is hers, and I know, you'll know some parts towards the end before we get there. but not everything.

Alexander Rubens belongs to Greed. I hope I got him right, Daddy!

As for everything else? Enjoy!

Review Replies!

**Riza:** YAY! -glomp- Riza, it's been so looooong! WE MISS YOU! We'll wipe off that rust! We'll get you so tired of us, you'll be afraid to come online! I'm glad you liked, I did write it for you after all! Ah, but I just had to do it. There had to be some backstory, if I was going to make it worthwhile, right? Anyway, don't envy me, you're a beautiful writer too! And you help me lots. I'll tell you over MSN. :3 Just cause like... you pwn. xD See you and I will update a special thing in commemorance of your return!

**Daddy Elric**: xDD I dunno! Why didn't you, did you figure that out? Maybe because Ed's so easily jealous and this is obviously a Royai? xD Does you? Yay! xD It's so hard to think like that man in regards to notes. I don't see how he does it. xD Yay for cute Elysia! xD

xD Of course he is, it's his job to show off.

xD He should have, but that's okay, and Ed might be in this later. xD

**Dailenna: **That it does.

Do you? xD I totally forgot to mention it, which could have brought out a bit more length to it, so that was on me really, but you do have a good idea. I just wonder when... hmn... xD

Thank you, and I will do my best to keep you pleased! Yay! xD

**Uke:** xD Of course. That's the Roy we all know and love. I had to negate all the sappiness in it somehow!

* * *

_"Since when does it matter?"_

Auburn eyes stared across the room. Work... yes, she was supposed to be getting ready for work. That was what the... leash in her had was for? Black Hayate gave a bark, telling her that he was ready to go, but it still had not registered what she planned on doing, or where she was. None of it made sense.

... there was a long moment of silence before she realized...

It was Sunday night, two in the morning, and she hadn't slept since, well decently before Roy's death, but at all, since before the distributing of the General's things, and that wasn't necessarily as bad as one would think. She hadn't eaten since that day and the only water she had was when she was trying to understand Mustang's notes on state changes in alchemy. Why she had been so focused since she found them, she would never know. She knew the basics of alchemy since her father had taught her the secrets of flame alchemy, but they agreed that secret would die with them, and she'd never follow along that path, but maybe there was something there to make the pain easier...

Another yip from Hayate pulled the disoriented woman from her thoughts, and she stood silently, nodding to her pup and leading him from the house. She had been afraid to come back, a neighbor feeding Hayate while she was away, but now she couldn't leave without spacing out and forgetting herself. Grief was a terrible thing, and there were times she wished she wasn't as human as she had become, but it was much too late for that.

The rain outside was gentle, more of a drizzle that had coated the concrete in a light glaze, shining in the dim lights of the street lamps made for illumination for late night walkers. Hayate probably needed her to be a bit stronger than she had become, failing horribly to even protect her dog from simple things like hunger and thirst. The ground held a magnificent sheen, puddles indicating that rain had been strong not all that long ago, the occassional vehicle passing and splashing water in attempts for late-night partiers to hurry home, sleep for a few hours and be rushed off to work.

The sky was a gentle dark blue, compared to the way she felt and the icy cool breeze that touched her warm skin, stars twinkling softly above, hardly showing a cloud and the reason for the almost sea-like breeze that night. But to her, it didn't matter, watching that half a moon shine with its borrowed light. What did it matter if they all shined brightly and giddily? They knew nothing of the pain of mortals, the gods hanging in the sky. How dare they taunt with their beauty while she suffered? The bitter taste of bile rose in her throat.

_"Is that all you have?"_

"Go away!" That voice continued to be persistent in her ears. Sleep deprivation, she had concluded the voice was simply a result of that, but it was bothersome, and it... it was so disheartening to hear that voice again, but know that there was no body to accompany it.

Black Hayate watched his master with a mixture of concern and intrigue, head tilted and emitting a small whine. He knew something was wrong but help seemed so far out of his reach.

"Come on, through the park." She finally directed, tugging on the leash with a weak smile. It was all she could muster, all she could give birth to in the end. Roy's words, his notes, his voice resonated in her head, and the only thing that she could do was listen to the taunts that sounded as if they were made for Fullmetal and oblige by reading the notes, trying to ascertain what they meant, break through Mustang's code, and relieve her curiosity. If she tried hard enough, and she still couldn't decode it, then she would know she tried all she could, and he could be put to rest.

_"And if you did manage to decode the theory?"_

What would she do then? She wasn't certain about anything any more. If she broke the code, and she understood what he was saying in that intricate wording that seemed beautiful but lying beneath all the poems he wrote for women, all of the journal entries from dates... was a horrific science, a science of building a human being from the most basic components... the art of human transmutation. It was sickening. The mere thought that he even tried to develop something on it was appalling, but... if she could have him back, if she could make it all right again, everyone would be happy, right? They'd have Roy back!

... and then she remembered what had done all that hell to Roy, what had mangled his body, and left the curse on him to finally suffer and die. Bradley was born in a similar fashion. Homunculi were failed results of a human transmutations to bring a person back to life, a doll that relied on other souls trapped within immitation Philosopher's stones. Could she really dishonor his memory so, by doing the forbidden, and risking it all? Could she risk losing him again, and further more, risk ending his life with her own hand because she had messed up?

It was all too conflicting. She had his face in pictures, she had his beautiful voice echoing in the hollows of her head, what more could she want, outside of those strong arms, telling her that the world wasn't cruel wherever he could protect her, that reassuring fact that he was alive, and muttering words into her ear... that she still had a purpose, because she could protect him. All of it made the end all that more reliable... it was worth the hell.

She couldn't do it. Roy had gave his life, ultimately, to rid the world of the corrupt Fuhrer. His death could not be wasted, just to bring another into existence.

_"A homunculus is born from a _failure_. It's different if you succeed."_

And she refused to listen anymore. Roy would never encourage such things. It was taboo for a reason. It wasn't going to bring him back, it was just going to bring more heartache... so she decided to cut the last tie. If she forgot his voice, it was fine. He'd understand, from what it was telling her.

"Come on, Hayate."

_"I didn't know you'd be such a coward."_

"Coward... yes, I'll take that, but I won't suffer anymore. Come on, Black Hayate."

The dog yipped excitedly, tugging on the leash and directing his master along the longer path home. Riza didn't argue, and trusted his judgement. He was usually right, and if anything, it was best not to go down that road, not having slept properly since the incident. It was still a great feat to call it that, 'the incident', let alone even say the man was dead. She had told herself, once she could say it three times, out loud, she would be able to get over it, and move on, and even saying it once was hard. The thought of it made her stomach turn. How long... would her heart twist like this?

* * *

"That won't do." 

"Huh?"

"Shh, now. You need your rest my precious girl." a voice no louder than a whisper floating along the wind's breath, drowned out by the warnings of the trees to the dog trying to escort his master home. It didn't matter who this was, they were spying on someone, and the the wind could not sit idly by. The scent of blood stained his clothes, made him dangerous, and this innocent soul had suffered enough.

"Daddy?"

"Hush. We have to find your brothers and sisters. We will find them, yes, Nina?"

There was a pause before the girl nodded. "Yes! We will Daddy!"

He laughed quietly, still not daring to raise his voice above the whisper of the wind, beginning to mutter to the child that had his attention. She was perfect. She was his Nina. His perfect little girl, the one he made. Science could do everything, science could birth the greatest miracles. Why waste nine months making sure a woman concieved when he could mold actual flesh with his hand? His own hand could bring so many miracles... and that was what he was going on. Laboratory Five had been excellent in this little event. Nothing could stand in his ways, eyes seeing, not the world before him, but the future. The future where he and his new family could live comfortably... where little Nina would not be alone anymore.

* * *

_"Sir..."_

_"Don't worry, Hawkeye. That's far from my mind, even now, in this hole I've dug myself. I don't think I could manage it, even using alchemy takes its toll. I know it's impossible to bring back what is lost... no matter how much we want it." He smiled ruefully, looking up from the book he was packing away. "Hughes called me stupid for it, and I must admit, thinking back on it now, it was a coward's way out. A life for a life, that's the trade, isn't it? If I used mine to bring theirs back, not only would I be free from my responsibilities, but I could bring people who died by my hand back to existence. However, death wasn't as willing to take me, and I wasn't as willing to embrace it as I first thought. I can't waste what everyone worked so hard to protect, right? You were there for me, and if you hadn't been here to take care of me, make sure I had my medication, to dress my wounds, I wouldn't have lasted longer than that night."_

_She watched him carry on noiselessly, still holding the bowl of water to clean and redress his infected eye. It had been a long day, and she herself was tired, but listening to him made her worry. "You should get some rest, General."_

_"I'm packing it all away. Even the Flame. I don't think that there is much use with my horrible aiming now." He chuckled, straightening when the book had been placed away and the box tapped up. "Besides, I have more important things to do. Come, Lieutenant. Naptime."_

_"Sir..."_

* * *

The sun shined in through that oh-too-familiar window, cascading through the translucent curtains and shining down on the bed she hadn't recalled passing out on, the blankets gently, almost in a tender loving manner, had been pulled up to her chin. It was almost like those times... something she must have unconsciously did during the night to help her sleep. It was nice... nice to finally get some rest. Though the sleep still hazed her mind, she felt a lot better than she had the night before, and as Hayate sat next to the bed that the three of them once shared on Roy's bad nights, she risked a very miniscule, but obvious to her and her pup, smile, climbing out to tend to him. 

The routine she had done for years before the final fight against the Fuhrer had begun. She set out food for Hayate, forcing him to do a series of polite tricks, such as 'sit pretty', 'shake', and 'lay down', just to make sure that he knew 'mommy' wasn't going to go easy on him just because she was in mourning. The dog seemed to cooperate very well, licking at his master's hand, telling her he was there for her before moving to eat.

Riza managed to break away when she found Hayate was satisfied with the meal he'd been granted, and moved into the kitchen, pulling out a carrot stick and chopping up bits of ham. An omelette sounded fairly good at that point, and her stomach refused to wait for nourishment any longer. For some reason, she had felt... happy. As if nothing had ever happened. Oddly enough, her mind had pushed out the fact that Roy was gone.

"Black Hayate! I'll be off soon." She called, finishing up her meal, and moving about the house to get ready. Her shirt was on, her pants and jacket followed suit, replacing the pajamas she had been clothed in the night before, her boots were on her feet, her hair pulled back. It didn't feel like a chore, getting moving. Today it just felt like Roy had proposed, or that he had actually said the words 'I love you', without some hitch on the end to ruin the moment. It felt... like the best day of her life.

With a small smile in place, she grabbed her bag and Riza Hawkeye was off to work, just like any other day...

* * *

"Good morning gentlemen." Riza stepped into the office, moving straight to he desk and setting her things down, glancing around the room at the solemn faces. They didn't bother her, nothing could bother her at the moment. The world seemed so perfect...! 

"You seem well today. Did you find yourself a nice bedmate?" Havoc commented, cigarette dangling uselessly from his lips, an all-knowing gaze in those strong blue eyes, attempting to hide the sadness within. It wouldn't do to let their new boss know they were falling a part at the seams, not yet anyway.

"No, I just realized something." She replied, sitting in her chair and looking towards the desk she had often stood by, watching the ghost of the man who once resided there looking on with a smirk, commenting on the 'women of the East', or some sarcastic quip towards Fullmetal.

_"I really should get to this paperwork, hmn, Fullmetal? It's so hard to see you."_

_"I wonder what the women out east are like?"_

_"Do tell me that's not all you have for me, Hughes. I expected more!"_

_"Why... why did he have to be so stupid?!"_

There were far too many memories of the man in that office. Roy didn't go home unless he had a date, and even then there were times he was in the office before her. There were more memories in that office than she could count. More than she remembered having at home. More than she remembered before that. Though, to her, the memories of abundance simply meant that he was a dedicated man, and she realized that. "Who is coming to take his place, I wonder." Riza continued, signing the papers that had been on her desk for some time at that point. Probably a week, she recalled, she hadn't been in since that night.

"Dunno, hear it's some guy, newly promoted." Havoc remarked.

Breda snorted. "Great. A newbie. Just perfect, don't you know."

"Sorry, that I'm not what you expected." It was a calm voice, almost hesitant as the door opened, revealing a man with strangely colored hair, of the violet persuasion, eyes a focused gray behind a pair of glasses that seemed to be sliding off of his nose, arms full of papers and files he must have needed to transfer, a heavy-looking bag dangling from the fingers on his right hand. "It seems... that it's still a bit difficult. I apologize in advance, but it can't be helped, right?" He grinned sheepishly around, struggling to get through the door with no aid. Just before he could drop anything, Riza had moved to help him, taking some of the files from his arms.

"You'll have to forgive them. Getting used to someone after you've been so faithful is difficult. He just left us a little over a week ago..."

He blinked at Riza before giving a reassuring smile. "I'm not here to replace anyone. I'm just here to do my job. Thank you... ma'am."

"No need to thank me. I'm First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, sir." She placed the items on the desk, turning and raising her hand in salute.

"I'm Colonel Alexander Rubens, but the formalities are a bit unnerving... perhaps we can drop those unless in the company of the higher ups then?" He approached the desk as well, tensing at the glares on his back. He supposed it was normal. "Wait... did you say first Lieutenant? I was told you were a Major, and Captain Havoc, First Lieutenant Breda, and second lieutenant Fuery..." He glanced at the phone. "Unless I'm mistaken?" He took the reciever in hand, placing it to his ear. "Colonel Rubens' office."

The guy seemed more anxious than they did. It was odd, they were the one getting the new boss...

"Yes, sir." He set the phone down carefully, glancing at Hawkeye before finally turning to his new team. "We have a case. A big one. There's been a body found... limbs ripped from their sockets. The only thing that the witnesses know... it was a voice from the shadows..."

* * *

"Who are you?!" 

"You don't know me?"

"No!"

"Then you can't be..."

"What do you want?"

"I'm looking for my brothers and sisters. You're in the way." There was a pout on the echo of that voice, two cruel eyes opening, full of lust for blood, a wide, malicious grin on the shadowed form's face. "If you're aren't here to play with me, you're in the way. I can't find them with you here."

"What -- " Before the soldier could finish his sentence, there was a blood-curdling scream a gurgle, and blood splattering against the wall. As the shadows dispersed, there lay the neatly cut bits of a random soldier on patrol of the streets.

"Daddy... Daddy, I want them. I'm so lonely..."


	4. Creeping Shadows

I am on an updating roll here. Three in two days. Woot! Anyway, there's not much to say. If you're confused, tell me, and I'll probably, more than likely, be updating in the next few days, if I can keep the ideas flowing, and I'll probably answer your questions then. Perhaps later. Who knows?

I don't own Rubens, who belongs to my Greedy, and Fullmetal belongs to Arakawa. As for the plot, and the designated sins, unless it's of my own creation belongs to Jokess. You have got to love her plots. Her and Greed are like the awesomest people alive.

**Dailenna: **You guessed it! Not hard to figure that out, I hope. Glad you got it. I didn't want it to be too confusing. Oh, close, but no. I thought this plot would be figured out by now. I'm kind of surprised. But I do love conjectures.

He does, but that's his personality. He's Greed's character, and he's usually a nervous wreck. His hair is dyed, yeah, I know it's unusual. I forgot to mention that, didn't I? xD Sorry about that.

Yes! They deserved them!

Doesn't it? xD You'll find out before you know it. It's real easy if you connect the dots while playing where's waldo. Thanks for the review!

**Jokess: **xD Aw. I hated writing that part. Funerals of any kind kill me as of late, so it was very hard to write, not to mention emotionally draining. I'm glad it wasn't 'hah hah' funny though. xD I'd feel really bad then.

Well, since it's a sort of combination of the anime (just the ending, really) and the manga (which I adore), I had to remember that Riza killed Archer in the last episode in her attempts to save Roy. I could have left that out, but then no one would get where he got the awesome eye patch? But yes, Archer really is evil, and I usually don't use him unless I need some Roy torture or I can't think of a character to fit in. He's nice to stick in there sometimes.

Oh, he is a creepy one. I don't even know if I could describe him all that well. I might leave that out until I can get a good idea of what he looks like. But yes, the whispering voice is like, really creepy. xD To be honest, I wasn't even sure what sin Nina would be. I forgot the list, and you hadn't been around to ask, so I chose Pride (which was actually right) because she would be Tucker's first, obviously, and be his pride and joy. As for when she does finally meet her brother's and sisters, I have no idea, but it can't bode well.

xD Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad I haven't disappointed you yet!

* * *

Havoc glanced in the rear-view mirror grumpily, chewing on the end of his cigarette and watching the man who sat in the back with Hawkeye and Fuery all crammed together. To him, this new guy was a horrible boss, nothing to compare to their old one and this was not something that was going to last. He was going to make certain of it, even if he had to outwardly protest this new guy. Riza seemed to buddy up so fast... had she already forgotten about Roy? She seemed so cheerful this morning. Well, it was hard for Hawkeye to be _cheerful_, but he thought she would have been a bit more broken up from the events of the weekend and now this new guy coming in and taking over Mustang's things. Their General was dead, was he the only one who remembered that kind of thing? 

"Damn, Havoc! Keep your eyes on the road!" Breda snapped beside him, gripping the handle of the door tightly and glaring out at the swerving lane in front of them. "What are you doin'?!"

"Shut up and let me worry about it, got it?" He muttered, straightening out the car and focused more fully on the road ahead. He would have never spaced out like that when it was Roy sitting back there, talking about the dates he had, or the women who called that night, or even a date he stole from him on 'complete accident'. It didn't matter how bad Roy seemed to be, there was just no replacing him. He wanted a transfer and would have applied for one too, if it hadn't be for the friends that remained.

Fuery, unlike Havoc, and even Breda to a lesser extent, enjoyed talking with the man. He wasn't dimwitted, or as slow and clumsy (at least in talk) as it seemed. He was a nice man, just newly appointed to his Colonel rank, and was trying to figure out how everything worked in his position. They just weren't cutting the poor guy slack. He missed their superior as much as they did, but to be so cold to the new guy wasn't fair. He didn't _ask_ to be put into the position, they assigned it to him. Like all soldiers, he had to do was he was told to do, even if it wasn't fair, right, or a nice thing to do. Besides, if they had gotten to know Rubens, they'd know the guy was even more intimidated by them than they should have been of him. He didn't know anything...

Of course, Hawkeye was still in her dream-like state. She had everything sorted out in her head. No one need have fear. An epiphany, many could say, hit her in her dreams that night. She had many things to review, lots of work to do, and then it would all be ready. She could honestly say she was quite happy with her decision, her heart strong, her resolve unwavering. Now, if she could just go through with it. It was all well and good at the moment, but in the end, it'd take amazing strength to complete the task at hand.

"Here it is..." The Colonel with the odd-colored hair stated, waiting for Havoc to pull to a stop where a few of the investigative team had already gathered. He frowned when he heard Havoc mutter something about 'thanks for stating the obvious', or something like that, but didn't comment, instead, merely opening the door and approaching the crime scene with a soft sigh. "What do we have here?"

"Behave. He's not here to replace anyone, I should expect that you'll be on your best behavior. This isn't the playground, let's not behave like children and scare the only decent boss after the General that we'll have away. Understood?" Hawkeye reprimanded, climbing out of the car as well, an eager Fuery behind her.

Havoc eyed Breda for a moment, turning the car off and resting his arms on the steering wheel. "I don't like it. Why should we be buddy-buddy with the new guy. I mean, I know the chief isn't coming back, but... I think this whole thing is stupid." He was just ranting to himself, he didn't think Breda would truly listen, but he couldn't see himself obeying a man who was obviously wet behind the ears. They worked hard to make it this far, their General was supposed to make it to the top, fix everything, even if he did say his dream of that was short-lived and no longer the focus of his life. It just seemed, and felt, like the world was tumbling down, and he couldn't manage to hold it up for himself, let alone the team they'd been together on for so long. It was theirs. Something they built with the cocky bastard with that smug smirk and those kick ass gloves that were good for lighting cigarettes. It just felt so empty and alone now.

"We're not supposed to like it." Breda shook his head, half in and half out of the car. "We just have to do it. The General would have wanted us to, right? I mean he helped us so much. He was just tired. I don't think it'd be fair to his memory if we just sat here and wallowed. He'd want us to continue, make things better like he aimed to do. So instead of sitting there complaining about the new guy, lets get to work on this new case and then plan a time to meet at the bar tonight."

The smoker sat back, opening the door once a transport vehicle bringing more soldiers in passed by. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. No more lazying around, huh? Guess we better get to work. Dammit, we hadn't had anything big after the Fuhrer. I was kinda getting into the desk work routine." He grinned his lazy grin. "Let's go, before the new guy rips us new holes." With a a mock heavy sigh, he climbed out, looking towards where the scene had gathered the attention.

* * *

"You think the guys could have gotten their own donuts..." He muttered to himself, shifting the bag within his grasp, a holder of six cups (he heard they were getting their new boss today, and what better way to welcome him than to bring him some breakfast), and two dozen donuts. These bastards had better pay him back. They hadn't had a bet in a long while, not one that he won anyway, and he was scrapping his pockets as it were. Some friends, right? Of course, it was his turn, he shouldn't have been complaining. It was actually once a week thing, and the General, if they worked, paid for the weekends. But that was getting off track. 

No he had to walk back to the office just to serve them. Geez. Havoc could have at least given him the keys to the car. Why did he have to walk all that way? And, he was sure he heard lots of cars gathering somewhere nearby, which meant something was happening and he had no gun on him even to defend himself. What a terrible start to a terrible day.

"You..."

Vato Falman froze in his steps, turning to look in the direction of the voice, only coming to face a dark alley and a set of wide eyes, pupils far from a normal hue. It was certainly not something he wanted to be stuck staring at. "Uh... hello?"

"Are you my brother?"

"Brother?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know, or to even stand there at that point in time. No, he was sure he didn't, deciding then and there to step away, that was, until there was a small shriek, a gush of blood, and right above Falman's left eye was a shallow cut, but certainly a bleeder.

"Don't go away!"

He didn't want to stay, but if that was what he got for trying to leave, he was probably best of standing there like a moron with the cooling coffee and the staling donuts. Whatever kept him alive... but he couldn't warn the others this way, standing here to entertain this girl, and whatever that was, how would he know he wasn't going to die? What had... hit him? "I have to be... getting to work now..."

"Come play with me!" Something... a hand, almost, reached out and took hold of his leg, dragging him down to the ground and towards the shadows. Cooled coffee spilled over decorated donuts, the gray-haired, squinty-eyed man struggling, grabbing at the concrete, trying to find some crack he could fit even his fingers around and hold on. He wasn't... he wasn't going to just let it happen. Dammit, Roy would never let him rest in peace! "Are you my brother? Have you seen them? My brothers and sisters... it's so lonely..." That was all he could hear from the disembodied voice.

* * *

Rubens maintained a certain composure in front of his men, but he'd never had so real a case before. He wasn't a fighter, he wasn't the 'best man to live up to Roy Mustang's reputation', he wasn't anything that they expected of him, placing him on this case or in his office. He supposed that he would face the bloodied remains of some soldier sometime, but he never thought he'd have to be tossed right into it, something so grotesque as this. The body looked like it was just ripped, limb from limb. It would take tools and time to do that, someone would have surely noticed a scream before the soldier could be dismantled so much... 

He turned away, allowing the team to 'bag' up the body for transport and release it to the family for a proper burial. His stomach twirled, as if he was in the car, going as fast as it could, swerving around cars, dodging pedestrians and just being all over the road. He wasn't sure why he reacted so badly, but he resolved not to get sick, at least not in front of his new men.

"What could'a done something like that?" Breda muttered, hands in his pockets, turning away from the crime scene, gaze on the violet-haired Colonel. "There's no way no one could'a saw who did it."

"You're forgetting the 'Barry the Chopper' case. That guy managed to get past without notice till Ed caught him." Havoc pointed out.

"Maybe we should recruit Ed?"

"Nah, we don't know where the kid is. Besides, he'll be pissed we didn't tell him about Mustang. Even though they were constantly at each other's throats, they had a relationship none of us would understand, and he'd have wanted to be there when he died. Want to explain why we didn't tell him? We're better off finding out on our own."

Breda silently agreed, nodding his head and glancing back to their pale commanding officer. "Never been so close to the real thing, huh? Get used to it, our division gets a lot of this stuff."

Havoc snorted. "Yeah, it's just your bad luck that you got placed with us on a busy day. You gunna be all right there, rookie?"

He didn't see how he was the rookie, considering he was a higher level than they were, but, persisting after an explanation wouldn't be the most intelligent of the paths to take, so he remained silent. Of course this scene bothered him. He was investigations. Seeing photos and seeing the real thing were two different things. He let enthusiastic people like Maes Hughes go out and do the field work while he sat back filling out the paperd and connecting the dots in the office. He rather much liked that. He could fire a gun to protect himself, he could use a knife if needed, but he could not stand there and watch them bleed or die. Watching the remains of a dismantled corpse was not on his to do list on his first day with a new unit and as a Colonel. "There's nothing left to do. We've come and saw. Breda and Havoc, you should canvas the area. Fuery, you're good in communications, right? See what you can get over line taps. Hawkeye, you and I will go back to the office. There's another, isn't there?"

Havoc snorted. "Yeah, whatever happened to Falman?"

"Donuts, remember?" Breda grinned, trying his best to look innocent. "He should'a been back by now. Wonder what could have happened..."

"You guys didn't make him walk all alone, did you? That was a lot to carry!" Fuery interjected.

"Relax, he's a soldier."

Rubens sighed. He didn't want to yell at them, he felt bad for even feeling annoyed but how... "There's a killer out there. Someone who could massacre a body within seconds. We have to find him, soldiers might be the prime targets. You sent him, find the route that he would probably take." He ordered. He was not losing one of his men on his first day...

* * *

"Ohhh! It really would have been nice if they told me where they were!" The mousy young woman clung to her books, sniffling to herself. She'd fallen in three puddles, and she was not sure she wanted to know what was in that last one. She had twisted her ankle in these odd shoes they had recently ordered the office secretaries to wear, not exactly the most comfortable things. Oh, not to mention the files she was supposed to deliver to the one replacing Mustang were a bit wet. She sighed, dropping to her knees. "Why can't this be easy!" 

"Schiezka!"

Green eyes blinked, wincing as she poked herself in the eye with her lashes, groaning softly and cupping a hand over the poor little eye. It never failed, what did they want now? "What? I didn't mean to -- " Just as quickly as she recovered, there was that familiar head of gray and a hand, clearly human next to the strange black thing that was sliding up to peel those fingers away from their hold. She gave a blood curdling scream, trying to shake the hand that had taken hold of her off to no avail. "Let go! I swear I didn't see anything! Don't hurt meee!"

"Schiezka -- ! Ugh, stop screaming!"

The tears stopped flowing, taking a moment to look down into the face staring desperately up at her. "Falman...?"

"Don't just sit there!"

"Oh! Right!"

She grabbed hold of his hand, not daring to look up at the eyes that seemed to be increasing in number and the little black... things reaching out for the latest victim, before a swift whistle assaulted her ears, the shadows swarming and retreating, leaving nothing in it's wake but that dark alley and a severely marred Vato Falman still clawing his way from them, dragging small trails of blood behind him.

The woman sighed in relief, sitting bag onto a bag that exploded beneath her, her skirt now covered in the fillings of the donuts that were inside, along with cooled coffee. "Ohhhhhh! Why today?!"

Falman glanced up, pushing to his hands and knees to assess the damage with a faint grin. "Thanks. Today seems to be a bad day for everyone huh?"

Schiezka gave a forced grin, nodding slowly. She didn't personally care about what happened in the alley, aliens were attacking and her day was only getting worse. God! Why did she have to be the one there? They were going to hunt her down and probe her brain for vital information and if they learned what she could do... they could take over the military! They'd seen her... what could she do?! Why couldn't someone else get caught by the aliens? Why didn't these other people help? The streets were awfully busy...

Vato grinned sheepishly at the look on her face, knowing yet another insane theory had made its way into her head. He supposed that was what made her special though. "Schiezka... would you mind... getting my commander for me?"

"Huh?! Oh! Yeah!" She jumped back to her feet taking off her jacket and tying it around her waist, taking off down the street.

The military officer sighed, pulling himself further from the shadows, thoroughly shaken by the outcome. Who was that girl? It sounded almost childlike, really. He thought the days of homunculi and fighting against supernatural beings had been over when the Colonel and Ed fought off the last. He'd never faced the homunculi, and quite frankly he never wanted to. It was just all to real for him. He couldn't find a date, let alone fight something with unknown powers and practically immortal, from the accounts Roy gave during recovery. If they could batter the Flame up so terribly... what could a lowly soldier do?

However, there was one thing on his mind, even as much as his worry for his safety and the scary shadows that seemed to move, even now...

... Vato was going to get Breda and Havoc for this.

* * *


End file.
